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Saturday, 27 June 2015

"My hands are tied" - Senate President, Bukola Saraki writes APC

The
Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, in a letter written to the All
Progressives Congress, said his hands were tied with regard to the
selection of principal officers of the upper chamber.

The
National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had on June 23,
written to Saraki, stating the party’s choice of principal officers of
the senate.

The APC had nominated Ahmad Lawan
as senate majority leader, George Akume as deputy majority leader,
Olusola Adeyeye as chief whip, and Abu Ibrahim as deputy chief whip.
However, Saraki, on Thursday, announced Ali Ndume as majority leader,
Bala Na’Allah as deputy majority leader and Francis Alimikhena as deputy
chief whip after the various APC senate caucuses nominated them.

In
his letter dated June 25, Saraki was said to have explained to the
party that the APC senate caucuses had already taken a decision on the
matter before he received Odigie-Oyegun’s letter.

Saraki’s
letter read, “The said letter (Oyegun’s letter) was received after
various APC zonal caucuses had taken their decisions to candidates as
principal officers of the senate in line with parliamentary convention
and the extant provisions of the senate standing orders 2015 as
amended.” The
Senate President said, “Furthermore, whilst one is strongly persuaded
to toe party line and act in accordance with the suggested party
position, regrettably clear provisions of our extant rules and standard
parliamentary convention have not given me that leeway to act otherwise.
“Therefore, my hands are tied in the circumstances and I seek your understanding in this regard.”

However,
he added that without equivocation he remained “loyal to our great
party and its leadership and also fully committed to the change agenda
of the Mr. President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”